Trooper Matt Bryan said the truck was headed southbound on U.S. 258 to Camp Lejeune from Dunn, hauling furniture for Super Service LLC when the fire broke out.

“It appears the fire started in the passenger side rear tire of the tractor, possibly from the braking system,” Bryan said.

Bryan said the driver of the tractor trailer, Victoria Bradshaw, 22, of Dunn, was transported to Onslow Memorial Hospital with injuries to her back and left hand after she reportedly tried to fight the blaze with a fire extinguisher and also tried to disconnect the truck from the trailer.

Bryson said the tractor trailer was full of heavy combustibles including wood and furniture.

“There was a lot of product in there burning,” he said.

Bryan said the fire was out completely around 9:45 a.m., and both tractor and trailer have been deemed a total loss. He added that there does not seem to be any negligence on the driver's part, and no one else was injured in the incident.

Bryson said travelers should be careful, because there was also a wreck on the 120 block of Rhodestown Road causing delays. He said there were no major injuries in that wreck, and the Half Moon Volunteer Fire Department, Richlands Rescue and Onslow County EMS responded. Bryson said he did not know the nature of the wreck.

Bryson said the most clear path heading into Jacksonville from Richlands Tuesday morning would be Gum Branch Road.

As of 10:30 a.m., the Department of Transportation was cleaning up furniture debris which had been pulled from the trailer to fight the blaze. Bryan said they would re-open the roads soon as they cleared the debris from the road and a tow truck could remove the tractor trailer.

Traffic on U.S. 258 is delayed due to a reported vehicle fire. Traffic is being detoured along Pony Farm Road. Vehicles along U.S. 258 are virtually at a stand still. Emergency crews are on the scene. The Highway Patrol and Onslow County Sheriff''s Office are both directing traffic.